Allergies are a condition that is caused by the body’s immune system. Though having a strong immune system means that you are able to fight off germs and viruses and subsequently be sick less often, in the case of allergies, the immune system is actually working against itself.

A grain of pollen really isn’t a threat to your health in the same way that a strain of flu virus would be.  The problem is that an allergic person’s immune system is unable to tell the difference between friend and foe. That’s why a grain of pollen is treated with the same immune-generated defense as a flu virus: sneezing, coughing, stuffy or runny nose, and watery eyes.

Though the symptoms of allergies are just plain annoying, there is a similar health condition that can prove to be life-threatening if not properly treated. This potentially hazardous illness is known as asthma. Out of the 20 million Americans who suffer from asthma, half of them have what is known as allergic asthma. This type of asthma is triggered in the same way that allergies are – a tiny grain of pollen, or a bit of animal dander causes a cascade of symptoms. Unlike normal allergy symptoms, the symptoms of allergic asthma that cause the condition to be so dangerous include constriction of the air ways and bronchial tubes, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest pain and pressure.

So, can allergies *really* turn into asthma?

Often allergies and asthma go hand in hand - this means that the majority of asthma sufferers also having allergies as well. In these cases, it only takes its a mild allergic reaction to cause their asthma to kick in as well.

But, if you only have allergies right now is it possible that in years to come you will also have asthma?

Before this question can be answered, it is important to know what causes allergies and asthma as well as how the two conditions are similar.

As I mentioned, allergies occur when your immune system mistakes a harmless particle like dust or pollen for a more serious threat to your health. Your immune system is made up of many different types of cells that live in the tissues (skin, blood vessels, etc) of your body. All of these cells have specific roles in defending you from disease and they work together to keep you healthy.

Most people know that when they go outside in the Spring or play with their dog or cat, they get a runny nose, itchy watery eyes and other things like hives or sneezing. But when you see what goes on in your body from the time you inhale an allergen to the time that you get hit with the symptoms, it is a lot like watching a bunch of dominoes being set off.

So from the time you inhale the allergen to the time you feel symptoms . . .

• one type of cell captures the allergen,
  
• one type of cell I.D.'s the invader as "dangerous" or "not dangerous"
• one type of cell spreads the message of "danger"
  
• one type of cell is armed and ready to release chemicals (called "chemical mediators") that in turn cause all the swelling, mucus and tear production to flush the allergen from your system.

All said and done, an allergic reaction is actually quite complex!

As you can see from the video showing how an allergic reaction works, of the cells trying to keep you safe cause your blood vessels to expand (causing swelling), and release fluid (causing runny nose, watery eyes, stuffed up head).

The same things happen during an allergic asthma attack - but they occur in the lungs and bronchial tubes.

So, the difference between allergies and allergic asthma is *where* the swelling, inflammation and excess fluid is found.

As annoying or irritating as allergy symptoms can be, the same inflammation and mucus in your lungs can be much, much worse!

In addition for causing inflammation and mucus in the airways and lungs, the "chemical mediators" released from mast cells during an allergic flare-up cause the bands of muscles wrapped around the outside of the bronchial tubes to tighten and release again and again. This muscle spasm is called bronchospasm. Imagine that your lungs are clogged with mucus and tight with inflammation . . . now picture bronchospasms on top on if all. The combination causes coughing; the frightening sensation that you cannot catch your breath; and dizziness or even fainting due to lack of oxygen.

I also have to mention that when you feel like you can't breathe, your body naturally starts demanding a "fight or flight" response to free yourself of the situation. To help non-asthmatics imagine the sensation of an asthma attack, imagine how it would feel if you were drowning and unable to catch a breath of air! How frightening is that? Who wouldn't panic in that situation? Asthmatics are familiar with this panic that accompanies severe asthma attacks - and how the adrenaline flooding their systems makes it that much harder to stay calm and focus on breathing.

So allergic reactions target your nose/eyes areas and the results are pretty annoying . . .

But allergic asthma targets your windpipe, bronchial tubes and lungs and the results are just plain horrible!

This video is a great visual to show exactly what goes on in your lungs during an asthma attack.

The answer is yes.

It is possible for someone with allergies to develop asthma as well. Here's why it happens:

1. Your Lungs and Nasal Passages are Very Similar - The idea is that the anatomy of the tissues in the nose and lungs are practically identical. As you learned from reading the beginning of this article, allergic asthma is bascially an allergic reaction in the lungs rather than the nose and sinus areas. And usually both are exposed to the same allergens and irritants that you breathe in.  For some, it is simply a matter of time and exposure until both the nasal passages and the lungs are equally sensitized (there is hope, though - just keep reading!).

2. The Nasal-Bronchial Reflex - Here's another thing that your body naturally does and you have no idea that it is happening. Believe it or not, there are nerve fibers originating in the upper airway which connect to the lungs. It's like a nose-to-lung direct phone line and it would basically allow allergic reactions in the nose to cause a reflexive response in the airways. All you'd need would be a severe enough allergic reaction to trigger a response in your lungs, and the result would be asthma.

3. Nasal Blockage Results & Increased Mouth Breathing - Everyone has been a mouth breather at least once in their lives! Your nose get too blocked up to breathe, so you open your mouth and gulp air directly into your lungs. The problem is that a nasal blockage caused by allergies will cause you to abandon the normal pattern of nose breathing and breathe through your mouth. This causes the allergens to hit the lungs directly, so anything that would have otherwise been caught by the nose's filtration is now hitting your lungs in a concentrated dose.

4. Postnasal Drip Spreading Inflammed Gunk - Okay, so it is shown that severe postnasal drip from allergies actually triggers episodes of asthma. Researchers figured out that this happens because of all the inflammatory "mediator chemicals" from Mast cells drip into the lungs from your nose. This especially happens while you sleep. Those "chemical mediators" are like a war cry to the lungs, signaling that a fight is taking place in the nasal area. The lungs respond with their own defenses, causing asthma symptoms to worsen.

Research has found that if you don't control your allergies with medicine or by avoiding allergens, your allergic reactions will become more and more severe. The cells that comprise your immune system become more and more desperate to rid your body of the invading allergens.

So it is a fact that if you leave your immune system to it's own devices, your sensitivity to a particular substance will increase over time. Your allergic reactions will become stronger and stronger - and possibly branch out to include other allergens that you didn't used to be allergic to.

Unlike a cold or other contagious illness, not everyone who is exposed to pollen or dust will develop allergies or allergic asthma. The term “atopic” is used to describe conditions that occur when someone is overly sensitive to allergens in their environment (allergens include things like pollens, molds, dust, animal dander, and certain foods). There need to be three main factors that determine whether you are more likely to be atopic:

1. Hereditary: Studies have shown that atopic tendencies (or simply put, allergies and asthma) run in families. If you have family members who have or had problems with allergies, you are more likely to have allergies as well. If both of your parents were allergic, you have a 75% chance of developing allergies as well. If only one parent or relatives on only one side of your family has allergies, your chances of being allergic to pollen drops to 50%.
2. Exposure: The amount of allergens that you come in contact with on a daily basis can cause you to develop allergies. If you are atopic, running or playing sports outdoors during days with high pollen counts can actually increase your risk of becoming allergic to pollen. The same applies to sleeping on a bed that has a high number of dust mites, living in a home that has mold, etc. The more you come in contact with allergens (especially when they are in heavy doses), the more likely you are to become allergic to them.
3. Age: Young children with a family history of allergies are more likely to develop allergies than an adult. If a child has not developed allergies by 12-14, their likelihood of becoming allergic is very slight. Many older people who seem to develop allergies during adulthood often were mildly allergic to other substances since they were children (though they may not have seen symptoms), and have just become more sensitized in later years.

Want to stay healthy and potentially avoid developing worse allergies or asthma? Here are some overall tips to help:

• Control your Symptoms: The thought of popping pills to reduce allergy woes is repulsive to some, but this is usually based on a bad experience with over the counter medications.  Some of the new medications that are just being released for over the counter purchase are a completely different story than their outdated counterparts.
• Visit an Allergist:  Seeing an allergist is going to be the best way to address your condition.  An allergist will quickly determine what exact things you are allergic to and give tips on avoiding allergens, teach techniques help control attacks and prescribe medications.
• Avoid Smoke:  Smoke is one of the most avoidable elements that can drive your allergies nuts or trigger an asthma attack.  It is often surprising to me to hear just home many people with an allergic condition suffer in a smoky home environment or workplace.  If you can't avoid the smoke completely, try using a home smoke eater to purify the air and keep smoke from making you sick.

If you can keep your allergies under control, you have a better chance of seeing your symptoms diminish in the future - plus you can help avoid the risk of developing asthma!